Clinical Presentations of 176 Cases of Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma: A Case Series

Abstract

Background: Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is a malignant tumor, the incidence of which has been increasing in immune compromised patients during the last two decades. Objectives: This study was conducted to determine the most prevalent clinical presenting symptoms of PCNSL patients. Patients and Methods: In this retrospective descriptive study, all PCNSL patients’ data over a 25-year period (1990–2014) were assessed. PCNSL was confirmed pathologically after stereotactic biopsy in the Neurosurgery Department of Shohadaye Tajrish Hospital, Tehran, Iran. Results: A total of 176 cases of PCNSL were enrolled. There were 107 (60.8%) male patients, with a 1.5:1 male: female ratio. The patients most commonly presented in the sixth decade of their lives, with a mean age of 47 ± 1.5 years. The most common presenting symptoms were hemiparesis (56.2%) and headache (51.7%). The periventricular white matter (51.1%) and basal ganglion (48.9%) were the most common sites of involvement, and they frequently affected the supratentorial area (84.7%). Conclusions: Based on the data from this study, hemiparesis and headache were the most prevalent clinical presenting symptoms of PCNSL. Cognitive impairment and personality changes were also common in these patients.